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Bird of Fire
bird of fire book one // prelude the phoenix restoration plan by firey ---- chapter one - pyro A CRY split the air. I glance around wildly, not sure where it came from. “Relax,” Haiti tells me, “It’s just the Tribes of the Valley. Fighting over another piece of land or prey. Ridiculous.” She snorts. “War…” Enoch wrinkles his nose, “I can’t believe they’re still fighting. Didn’t Iris tell us this has been going on for twenty moons?” “And how would she know?” I roll my eyes, “Iris is sixteen moons old. The youngest of all of us.” “Twenty moons ago was when the Tribe of Blood was accused of murdering the legendary phoenix,” a dark tom flicks his tail, “but in truth, nobody living has ever seen the phoenix. It’s just a rumor of Song.” Before I could reply, horrid screams erupt from the valley below. I flatten my ears. “Are any of the Song rogues fighting?” “None,” Enoch glances down from his perch, “It’s just the two Tribes as always.” “Where’s Iris?” I continue worriedly, “She always disappears when a fight starts near us. She shouldn’t wander so far.” “Don’t worry about Iris,” the black tom known as X mews, “Iris knows how to take care of herself.” Haiti wraps her tail around me. “Come on, Pyro, you promised we could take a romantic walk near Lily Pond.” Her green eyes sparkle. I bite my lip and glance towards the edge, where Enoch is perched. “Not now, Haiti,” I say cautiously, “there’s a battle going on.” “And we’re not part of it,” Haiti urges, pushing me along, “Let’s go.” I’m reluctant. “Haiti, this is a war that has shaken the core of Song since that fateful day twenty moons ago. This isn’t something that we can ignore. We have to face the fact that one day, the Song rogues will be pulled in as well.” “Don’t lecture me,” Haiti pulls away, “I hear you preach to the others every day.” “Then listen to me!” I say urgently, “perhaps we can go tomorrow.” “The war won’t be over by tomorrow,” Haiti lashes her tail, “you’ll never have time to have some fun while the war is going on.” In the setting sun, with the sunlight pouring over her pelt, Haiti looks absolutely gorgeous. I want to say yes, I really do, but as the leader here, I need to stay focused. “We’ll go tomorrow for sure,” I promise, “let me have today to worry about the war.” Haiti eyes me, and I find myself drawing closer to her. Haiti jerks her head in a nod and flounces over to Enoch to talk with the dark gray tom. I watch them go, wondering how I’ve lasted four moons being with the beautiful she-cat. “Pyro,” X grunts from behind me, “Iris is back.” I turn and see the cream colored she-cat bound into the camp. “Hey Pyro!” She says cheerfully, touching her nose briefly to me. I pull away immediately and glance self-consciously at Haiti, who is ignoring me. Iris doesn’t seem to mind, since I know she only did it as a sisterly gesture. “Is there a battle going on?” “No,” Haiti says sarcastically, “cats are just screaming for no reason.” Iris stares at the tabby she-cat in surprise at her harshness and I scowl in Haiti’s direction. “Don’t snap at Iris,” I warn her, “war isn’t good.” “For the last time I’m not supporting the war!” Haiti all but shouts, “I just like fighting!” She turns and stomps away, presumably to sulk. I stare after her, unsure what to do. Enoch wordlessly detachs himself from his perch and hurries after the light brown she-cat. I watch them go and sag. Iris is at my side immediately. “How bad is the battle?” “I’m not sure,” I drag myself towards the ledge and glance down. “Enoch only told me that it was a Tribe battle as always. No Song rogues have gotten involved yet.” Iris licks a dainty paw. “He’s a good brother,” she murmurs, “he’ll soothe Haiti for you. She’s upset because we’re such good friends no matter what war goes on in our life. She can’t seem to get to you.” “We’ve only known war,” I argue, “I’ve never been romantic! Haiti knows me.” “Oh come on, have some fun!” Iris’s eyes are cheerful as always, “The war won’t end tomorrow.” Everyone keeps telling me that, I think ruefully. I know they’re right, but the five of us had been bent on trying to save the Valley of Song since we met up. X had told us of the casualties that resulted from the Tribe wars and all I wanted was peace. “Thanks Iris,” I bump her shoulder with my own and hurry down the side of the hill where I see Enoch and Haiti brushing pelts, obviously having a “brother-sister” talk. Enoch is the brotherly figure of the entire group, though his real sister is Iris. I reach the pair in no time, breathless. “Go away, Pyro,” Haiti mutters, “nobody wants to hear your lectures.” Enoch gives me a sympathetic look but I flick my tail, dismissing him. Enoch brushes by me and whispers, “Go easy on her, Pyro, the war breaks everyone eventually. Some just sooner than others.” I shiver at his words but he’s gone before I could pursue the thought. Haiti’s green eyes are as beautiful and jeweled as ever. “Lily Pond,” I say, “it’s a beautiful sight in green-leaf, don’t you think?” Haiti watches me carefully. “It is,” she replies slowly, “what are you getting at?” I offer her my tail, “I’m hopeless at romance, but I think I know what a date means.” A slow smile spreads across her face and she weaves her tail through mine. “My pleasure to be your date then.” Our date is ruined by the sight of two injured cats. “Not fair,” Haiti grumbles as we kneel next to them, “we didn’t even get to reach the Lily Pond yet.” I check their pulses. “They’re both breathing. Tribe cats. One’s from the Tribe of Blood and the other is from the Tribe of Fire.” “So enemies,” Haiti conclude. “Not our enemies,” I scowl, rolling one of the toms over. He grunts and lashes out with one paw. I hop back in surprise. “We’re here to help,” I call out to both of them. The russet tom opens his eyes first. He immediately notices the black tom in front of him and lunges for the tom. Haiti is a blur, moving forward and knocking the tom backwards. “No fighting,” she commands, “we’re here to help you both.” “If you help him,” the russet tom gasps out, “you will be an enemy of the Tribe of Fire. If you help me, you will be an enemy of the Tribe of Blood. You cannot do both.” “Lucky me,” Haiti sneers, “Song rogues are not welcome in either region anyways. Now come on, be a good kit and we’ll help treat your injuries.” I’m already helping the other tom up and together we help them back to camp where Iris sets to work with her herbs, Enoch helping. Haiti and I sit ourselves down on the side. “I can’t believe it,” she rests her head on my shoulder, “First our date is ruined and then we help the cats who ruined our date.” I don’t have the heart to offer to go to Lily Pond again. “Let’s wash up,” I offer, licking her shoulder, where one of the toms had bled all over her. Obviously it’s not the best option, as I’m sure Haiti would have preferred a lovely stroll around the Pond, but I don’t have the energy. The battle below us had stopped, but the way Enoch is staring down at the battlefield, I know the casualties must be high once more. Haiti relaxes as my tongue passes over her fur and when I’m done, she turns to me and does the same. I close my eyes and savor the moment. “Pyro,” I hear the growl of X, “you might want to come and settle this. The two toms aren’t working well together.” I sigh and excuse myself from Haiti and walk over to where Iris is trying to heal the russet tom’s wounds. He is baring his teeth at the black tom, who is being restrained by Enoch. “Toms,” I say coldly, “are we having a problem here?” The black tom glares at me. “I want to know why you’re helping that tom. He is from the Tribe of Fire, an enemy of my Tribe.” “And he is an enemy of mine!” The other tom shouts. I flatten my ears. “We aren’t taking sides. We are Song rogues, the peaceful section of the Valley. We are helping you both, or none at all.” I don’t mention that it would be a very bad idea to kill the toms because then we could be thrown in the Underground for betraying the agreement laid upon the Song rogues to never take part in the war. Both toms seem to value their lives a lot because they both stop fighting immediately. Enoch slowly steps off of the black tom. Thankfully, he didn’t try to strangle the russet tom’s throat. “Names?” I ask, trying to sound polite. “Oakshadow,” the russet tom grunts, licking his wounds clean. “Nighthawk,” the black tom reluctantly says as Enoch begins to treat his wounds. Oakshadow and Nighthawk. I commit their names to memory. “Welcome to Song,” I say, because I have nothing else to give, “I assume after this you aren’t allowed to return to your Tribes?” chapter two - haiti THE TOMS are getting on my nerves. They hiss and growl at each other every minute and it just makes me want to tear their ears off. Maybe I’ll have to gouge their eyes out too so they don’t notice each other snarling. I notice Pyro is staring at me and when I glance pointedly back, the black tom glances away. I really wish Pyro would give me more credit than just being beautiful. He never asks me about his politics or for my advice. It’s as if I merely exist for him to receive or extract pleasure from. I’m not stupid, and I know he knows it, though he always asks X, or Enoch, or even little Iris. Stars, I do hate her. Okay, back up a bit. I don’t hate her, but I’m pretty sure I’m jealous. Just because she’s sixteen moons old and a seemingly rambling genius sometimes (while I’m the bloodthirsty yet beautiful she-cat), doesn’t mean everyone gets to dote on her. Snarls interrupt my thoughts and I turn on the two Tribe cats. “Shut up,” I snap, “some of us are trying to get some sleep here.” Neither of them are going at each other’s throats anymore, since they’ve accepted that they aren’t really Tribe cats anymore. To receive help from anyone except your own section is unacceptable, especially in terms of war. But the two of them had to receive our help or they would have died. That also leaves me to conclude that Pyro will announce in the morning that we are on the run. After all, we aided the two toms. That’s another violation of the Rules and I’d rather not spend my time rotting in the Underground. I hate my life. Morning comes and true to my thoughts, Pyro makes an inspiring speech how we had defended our thoughts of peace and helped two toms - Oakshadow and Nighthawk - keep their lives. I’m sure more wonderful words came out of his mouth but I stopped listening until he told us we had to pack up our stuff and make a run for it. For once in her life, Iris actually looked distressed about being a runaway. “What if we get caught?” I overheard her wailing to Pyro, “Oh, what are we going to do?” “We’ll be fine,” Pyro reassures her, “I’ll make sure of it.” Sure he will, I snort. It’s not that I don’t like Pyro, I do care a lot about him. I’ve always known about his crush on me since we met. He’s hopelessly romantic and super obvious with his crush. Of course, I developed feelings for him as well, but I wasn’t too certain about diving into a relationship when I had Enoch to consider and Iris was always with Pyro. So we didn’t start dating until four moons ago. Quite a romantic night if I may say. “Haiti,” Pyro nudges me, “where should we go?” “You’re asking me?” I arch an eyebrow, “Why don’t you ask X?” “He’s busy,” Pyro’s eyes unnerve me, “I don’t know how to keep the others safe. I need your help.” “For once,” I mutter, just under my breath. I glance at X, who is surprisingly chatting with the russet tom - Oakshadow or whatever. Stars bless or curse that tom, I’m not even sure. “We could go to the Lily Pond,” I offer. “For stars sake,” Pyro says exasperatedly, “we’re not going on a date, Haiti, we’re past that now. We’re trying to keep the group safe, even those two Tribe toms that you hate.” I don’t hate them, I want to tell Pyro, but I ignore that statement. “I’m not trying to be romantic!” I flatten my ears, “I’m just saying there’s a lot of cover there and the Tribe cats or the Reinforcement never comes close to there.” Pyro takes a few deep breaths before turning away. “Alright,” he murmurs, “we’ll go there.” “You’re welcome,” I growl back, turning and finding myself in Enoch’s company. How lucky, the dark gray tom does serve some of his uses after all. I ignore Pyro’s mew to walk with him and press up against Enoch instead. I don’t enjoy his company as much as Pyro’s, but after this past moon of increasing battles, I’ve grown sick of trying to catch Pyro’s attention instead. Enoch glances at me, surprised to see me here instead of sidling up to our great leader. “Hey, Haiti,” he mews in greeting, “where are we going?” “Lily Pond,” I toss back my head, “How about a stroll later?” “You’re dating Pyro,” Enoch points out, even though I know that, “I’m not going on a ‘stroll’ with you just so you can spite the tom.” I roll my eyes, “I just wanted to discuss a few things with you, that’s all. It’s not a date or anything, though the place is romantic.” Enoch gives me a hard look and I flick my tail. “Come on, it’s just one day. I want to have a normal conversation with a tom, not one that involves the Rules or the battles that rage on every day.” “You like fighting.” “Fighting and talking about fighting are two very different things. Are you on this da-- stroll or not?” “Da--stroll?” Enoch twitches his whiskers, “I’m not sure I’m familiar with that term.” “Stroll,” I flush, “are you in this or not?” Enoch is quiet for a moment. “Just for the day,” he grunts, “if Pyro gets mad at me I’m directing him to you.” “He won’t get mad at you,” I sneak a glance at the tom, who is chatting with Iris. “He won’t even notice we’re gone.” ~ I’m proven right. Pyro is still chatting with Iris when I leave with Enoch. The dark gray tom is seemingly still reluctant, but I know from his small, miniscule crush on me that he wants to do it. Perhaps it isn’t right of me to exploit his needs, but obviously Pyro doesn’t care who I flirt with when he does it so blatantly with Iris. I curl my tail around Enoch’s and the dark gray tom doesn’t pull away. “What do you think we should do about the Tribe toms?” Enoch glances at me. “Nothing. They’re runaways now. We might as well work together with them to try to prevent them from catching us.” “Runaways,” I muse, “why don’t we just leave the Phoenix Valley? After all, I used to live out there. It’s probably not that dangerous.” “Pyro would never leave the Valley,” Enoch argues, “he’s obsessed with the idea that we can stop the war. That we can save everyone in here.” “He can,” I say quietly, “but I’m not sure if the rest of us can.” Enoch is quiet too. Before either of us could speak up on the situation, I felt rough paws push me into the Pond and the screams of Enoch erupts from next to me before all goes black. chapter three - oakshadow I HEAR the screams before anyone else does. I jerk myself awake from my nap and hurtle to where Pyro is sitting with the pretty little she-cat. “Screams,” I gasp out, pointing frantically towards the other side of the Pond. Pyro pulls himself up immediately and is racing away without another word. I stare after him in confusion and notice X bounding after him. “Enoch and Haiti went that way,” Iris concludes, noting the disappearance of the last two members. “That tom is obsessed with everyone,” Nighthawk mutters from behind me. I bristle at the sound of his voice and resist the urge to turn around and try to strangle him. That wouldn’t get me on the good side of these cats. “Correction,” Iris flicks her tail, “he loves the whole group - except maybe you two - as a whole, but he’s obsessed with Haiti.” “Sure shows it,” I snort. The silence between us almost becomes unbearable until Pyro and X return, their faces grim. “Where’s Enoch and Haiti?” Iris asks, her golden eyes frantic. “Gone,” Pyro shakes his head, obviously furious, “Either they ran off together or the Reinforcement caught up to us already.” “That fast?” I blink, “Surely they wouldn’t have any knowledge of what happened until maybe a moon after.” “Are you telling me Enoch and Haiti made a run for it by themselves?” Pyro glowers at me. I’ve never actually seen him so angry, not even when Nighthawk and I tried to kill each other. “I’m not telling you anything,” I turn away to go to my nest, “She’s your girlfriend.” Pyro doesn’t reply and I feel someone brush against me. “Don’t take it personally,” X advises, “Pyro is distressed because Haiti keeps disobeying him. It has to do with his inability to notice what bothers Haiti, but it’s not your fault for not knowing.” I glance at the medium-sized tom. “I’m not good with she-cats anyways,” I dismiss. X doesn’t make a comment on that. He settles in his own nest. “I don’t think they ran off anyways, but nothing I say right now will reassure Pyro. Only Iris can work her magic.” “What a family,” I say breezily, closing my eyes, “happy and safe.” X snorts but doesn’t say another word. ~ Pyro concludes that they didn’t run away. Though I’m sure he secretly thinks Haiti did it to spite him. The fiery she-cat didn’t exactly seem like the one to stand aside and allow Pyro to always spend his times with Iris instead of with his girlfriend. I don’t have a say on Enoch. I’m not good with she-cats, but I’m terrible with toms. They just send my nerves haywire. But if Enoch and Haiti didn’t run away, where could they be? I don’t have the nerve to ask anyone, not even X. The pure black tom is probably the friendliest of them all (at least to me). Pyro is alright, but I’m not that interested in him. Nighthawk is obviously off-limits. X and Pyro spend the day outside, trying to find clues to tell us where Enoch and Haiti had went. Iris tries to keep Nighthawk and I company, and for once, I think Nighthawk is being nice. (Only to Iris though.) I mop, rolling my piece of prey around with one paw. Nighthawk and Iris are talking in low voices, with the occasional laughter from either cat (shocking isn’t it? Nighthawk can laugh.) “Let’s go hunting,” Iris pops up, “X and Pyro will be back soon.” “Who will watch the camp?” I ask, pushing myself off the ground. Iris gives me a curious look as if I shouldn’t have been in earshot of her words. Nighthawk pushes me back down. “Don’t be an idiot you weren’t invited.” I scowl at him but Iris flounces in front of me. “Of course you can come! Like I said X and Pyro will be back soon anyways. It isn’t safe for one cat to stay behind by himself in case the Reinforcement comes.” One look at Nighthawk’s hostile look and I make my decision. I spot X and Pyro just over the hill. “I see the others; I think I’ll stay.” Iris looks a bit crestfallen but Nighthawk shrugs and begins to walk away with Iris hurrying after him. I shrug and X and Pyro walk back in. “Where are they going?” Pyro frets, staring after Iris and Nighthawk, “They shouldn’t leave camp alone.” “They aren’t alone; they have each other,” I roll my eyes, “I doubt Nighthawk would let any harm come to Iris.” “How do you know?” Pyro scrambles towards them, only to stop and turn back around. “I also can’t leave you two alone!” X lays his tail on Pyro’s shoulder. “You worry too much. Go lie in your nest and get some rest for once, alright?” I imagine X’s tail on my shoulder and give a tiny shiver. I quickly wipe away the image. It’s nerve wracking, trying to stay here with two toms. Whereas toms are usually attracted to she-cats, I’m the opposite. Thank the stars Pyro has a girlfriend. But X… Pyro curls up in his nest, grumbling. “I can’t lose anyone else,” he argues, “even if one of them is a stinking Tribe cat.” Okay, he’s definitely out now. I don’t even care if Haiti breaks up with him and Pyro declares himself madly in love with me. I’m never dating him. With the small black tom dozing, X makes his way to me. “How are you faring?” He asks, his ice blue eyes warm. He indicates to my wounds from my vicious fight with Nighthawk (still think I should have killed him.) “I’m doing fine, thank you,” I find myself staring down at my paws, unable to meet his gaze. “And you?” “I’m fine too.” Moments of silence pass and I bite my lip. Well, isn’t this going great? “Are you and Pyro...close?” I blurt out. I look up just in time to see X give me an amused look. “If Pyro knew what friends were, he would define us as best friends, perhaps. But I’m not sure how far friendship stretches for Pyro.” “How would you define it?” “Just friends,” X glances at the sleeping black tom, “He’s too much of a leader for me to be any closer than that of course. And he does have Haiti, who almost every tom loves.” “Oh,” I shuffle my paws, “sorry for prying.” “Don’t be.” X seats himself in front of me, “It’s natural for you to be curious. Naturally, I’m curious about you too.” I note that he doesn’t mention Nighthawk either because the tom isn’t here, or because he doesn’t care about him (hopefully the latter!). “What was life like in the Tribe?” “It was...normal to me,” I shrug, “We took it seriously to train every day and we knew once we hit sixteen moons of age, we would be sent to the army and thrown at the other Tribe. It wasn’t a big deal, it was destiny.” “I can see you must have been a natural warrior,” X’s eyes travel over my pelt. I flush. “I’ve seen better.” “Nighthawk doesn’t seem like an easy tom to battle,” X flicks his tail, “With his ferocity he must have defeated so many of your Tribe cats.” His ice blue eyes meet my green ones and I swallow. “He was infamous,” I agree, “one of the best in the Tribe of Blood. To go against him is a death sentence.” “Except for you,” X praises. I lower my head, unable to keep staring at him without feeling obsessive. “I guess. I’m sure there are others who have lived.” “And not tell the tale?” X counters, “I would think not.” “What is your point?” I pretend to be more interested in the crow I was going to eat. “That I could have defeated Nighthawk?” “That you’re strong and I think you’re overlooked.” X draws closer, “There’s something about you that pleases me. Wouldn’t you agree?” I could only jerk my head in a nod, my heart pounding. chapter four - enoch I WAKE up in a dark cave. My head throbs and I can barely open my eyes. When I sit up, my head gives a flare of pain and I groan. When the pain subsides, I turn slowly, trying to figure out where I am. It’s pitch black all around me and I can’t see a thing. I reach out with a paw and feel smooth stone walls surrounding me, the space just big enough for me to turn around once. Haiti is nowhere to be seen and she can’t possibly fit in here with me. My eyes don’t adjust, no matter how long I wait. And that’s why when the first strike hits, I let out a scream of half surprise, half pain. Laughter fills the area. “How weak. Just a small, glancing blow and you’ve already cried out in pain.” Small, glancing blow? I find myself shrinking back and smacking the wall with my back. I don’t know where the cat is, but he certainly a very creative and torturous prison. “Face me like the cat you are,” I spit out. “Oh but I am,” he laughs, “I am cunning and cruel. This is how I play games.” I snarl but I feel claws sink into my pelt and my own blood soaks my paws. After a few more blows, I can’t step anywhere without feeling the stickiness of the blood under my paws. The scent of it fills the air and I gag. “This is the power the phoenix had once given me,” the cat purrs, “it gave me intelligence and the ability to create a prison that will break anyone. How long do you think you’ll last? Two days? That’s the record.” I’m determined to last longer than that. No way was I going to let this creepy tom live. “Why am I in prison?” I call out, “I haven’t done anything wrong.” “I think you realize who I am,” the cat mews, “I am apart of the Reinforcement and you broke the sacred rules laid down by the phoenix itself.” “And the she-cat?” I continue, “Where is she?” “She is no longer of your concern,” the cat dismisses, “you’ll be lucky if you ever see daylight again.” “Though,” he muses, “I wonder how her captor is treating her. His methods are simply beautiful and destructive.” That sends a shiver down my spine and the cat chuckles before I hear his footsteps padding away. ~ The stench doesn’t go away. The stone walls prevent the blood from flowing anywhere, though I notice some of it has gone. It must have, because the cat must have some way to open the walls in order to put me in here and attack me. The phoenix didn’t give the Reinforcement powers, it just made them in charge. (Worst idea ever.) It’s not until night do I hear the screams. It echoes in my own prison and I flatten my ears. They march right past me, the horrible screams filling the night air. (I’m assuming it’s night; I can’t tell time when I can’t see the sun). It takes nearly an hour for it to pass and for me to erase it from my mind. But I can’t fall asleep. I can’t even lay down without staining my chest with my own blood. But I’m too tired to care. I let myself sink down, and I ignore the blood around me and close my eyes. Morning comes to quick and the cat is back. His eloquent voice wakes me up from a restless sleep and I feel his claws sink into my pelt once more. I wince but I bite down a scream of pain. “I do believe it’s time for me to ask questions. Usually after a full day, prisoners can’t stand it and well...we all know you have claws.” I blanch. Surely I wouldn’t be driven to give up that easily? “Who exactly drove you to aid those Tribe cats? You should know as a Song rogue that that is not tolerated.” “Oh, I’m so sorry, bite me.” I don’t expect him to actually sink his fangs into my pelt. This time a scream finds its way out and I fall to the ground, my wounds flaring with pain. “That was not meant to be taken literally,” I gasp. “Answer the question or I will do worse.” “The cat is none of your concern,” I growl, “I’m not going to betray his name for you.” “So it’s a tom,” the cat notes, “and you’re loyal enough to risk your life for him. Let’s see how far you’ll go before you break.” He spends the entire day attacking me. The pain is overwhelming. At one point, he even drops someone into the prison and a disgustingly sweet scent fills the prison, making it hard for me to hide my thoughts and hold the truth back. I’m not sure if I’ll break first or if he’ll kill me first. And then there’s a surprise the next day. Someone comes in and blindfolds me. He drags me out and to my surprise, he begins to treat my wounds. Relief is immediate. When he’s done, he puts me back into my den and leaves the blindfold on. It wouldn’t matter, however, as I still can’t see a thing. And then the cat comes back the fourth day. “Ah, your wounds are a lot better now. That means you can stand more pain, can’t you?” I realize he must have had the cat treat my wounds so I wouldn’t end up dying from infection or just the loss of blood. Speaking of blood, the floor isn’t an cleaner and I’m practically living in my own blood. It’s disgusting. I don’t bother responding. But this time I unsheath my claws and prepare myself for an attack. When it comes, I lash out with one paw and catch the tom by surprise. I drag him in and pull myself out. There’s a yelp from him and I tear off my blindfold. I find a pure black tom lying in a pool of my blood. I turn and stumble out of the prison and keep running until I’ve hit the forest line and the pounding of the pawsteps fade behind me. chapter five - nighthawk IRIS is gorgeous. I can’t stop glancing over at her. I’ve certainly never felt so drawn to a Song rogue before, as all the other rogues annoy me beyond words. And don’t get me started on Oakshadow. He and X are getting extra friendly, but X creeps me out. Pyro is like an passive aggressive leader and apparently has problems keeping his girlfriend under his paw. Haiti - my first impression of her at least - seemed overly aggressive, which makes no sense why she and Pyro are dating in the first place. Enoch was just...there? But Iris. I’m trying to make small talk with her, but she’s focusing her attention on X and Oakshadow. “Aw, look at them!” She purrs, “I’ve never seen X so easy around anyone except Pyro. Even then, he has a different stance.” “A different stance?” I repeat, “How would you know?” “I watch them, silly.” I flush at the word “silly”, but not in a bad way. Iris made everything sound like a compliment. She glances over at me, “Don’t you think they’d be a good pair?” I peer at them just to please the she-cat. “Yeah, sure.” Iris giggles, “Here we are, spying on two toms who look like they’ve never seen another tom before. How romantic.” I nearly break my neck just to look back at her in surprise. “They’re romantic,” Iris supplies, her warm, golden eyes wide. “they’re certainly very romantic.” “Very,” I lower my gaze. “Enoch!” X suddenly calls out, breaking away from Oakshadow and hurrying down the hill. Iris leaps to her paws instantly and races after the black tom. I sit where I am, feeling a bit dumbfounded by what had just happened. Oakshadow has a similar expression. X and Iris appear once again, carrying Enoch between them. Pyro bounds over instantly, his amber eyes filled with anxiety and worry. My eyes widen at the mess. Enoch is covered in bleeding wounds and his face is drawn out with exhaustion. Iris sets him down and immediately gets to work. “Nighthawk, come help me,” she calls out. I blink in surprise but scurry over. Oakshadow shoots me a dirty look but I ignore him. Pyro and X step back, talking urgently. “What do you need?” I ask, staring down at her working paws. “I need cobweb and dock. Ask Oakshadow to help you. We need a lot of it to help Enoch.” Iris orders, not sounding young at all. I jerk my head in a nod and nudge Oakshadow. “Come on, we’re going on a mission to save that rogue’s life.” Oakshadow starts to argue but I drag the other Tribe cat away. “Find as much cobweb as you can,” I snap, “and give it to Iris once you have enough. I’m going to find dock.” I ignore any other jabs he throws at me, and begin to sniff the air for the plant. I thank the Tribe lessons for teaching us about herbs because I pinpoint the plant easily and pick as much as I can carry before rushing back to Iris’ side. Oakshadow is already there, balancing on three legs to hold a swath of cobwebs in the other. Iris thanks us and sets to work, plastering Enoch’s pelt with cobwebs and rubbing the herbs into his pelt. When she’s finally done, the three of step back in exhaustion. Iris’s golden eyes are terrified and she’s drooping. “Go get some sleep,” I murmur to her, nudging her towards her nest, “Oakshadow and I will watch him.” “Don’t fight with him,” Iris murmurs, “you’re both very nice toms. Call me if Enoch wakes up.” Then she’s in her nest, sleeping. “You volunteered to watch this tom with me?” Are the first words that come out from Oakshadow’s mouth when I join him once more. “Got a problem with that?” I bare my teeth, “You’re the only available cat and I’m going make sure Enoch stays alive.” “Wow, you know his name,” Oakshadow mutters. I ignore the russet tom. I don’t want to anger Iris by waking her up with our squabbling. I could be mature and not fight with the tom if I wanted to. Especially for Iris’ sake. The night is a long wait. Pyro and X are still talking, and they spend the night drawing diagrams and discussing plans as Oakshadow and I silently make sure Enoch’s condition is stable. When morning comes, my eyes are drooping and Oakshadow is half-dozing. I jab him awake with one paw and check Enoch’s condition. “You fool,” I mutter, “you fell asleep.” “So did you,” Oakshadow retorts. The russet tom shoots a look at X, who had gone off to sleep while Pyro paces the camp. “Jealous?” I stretch myself out and go over to where Iris is. She is just stirring. “Enoch’s condition hasn’t changed,” I tell her, “but I don’t think he’ll get any worse with the way you’re treating him.” “Thanks.” Iris hurries over to her brother, “You’ve been a great help.” I lean into her praise, but then she adds, “You too, Oakshadow.” The russet tom gives me a smug look but I promptly ignore him. I focus on Iris, who is pacing around Enoch, assessing his health. “Is he going to be all right?” I ask gently, as Iris’ expression grows increasingly worried. Iris doesn't reply for a long time. She has stopped pacing and is leaning against me, her eyes fixed on her brother’s injuries. “I don’t know,” she said finally, “I don't know if I can save him. His injuries are very severe, not to mention I don't know what kind of traumatic experience he went through in the past few days.” “If you're the one healing him, Enoch will be fine,” I tell her, “I know you won't let him die like this. You're the best healer I know.” “I'm the only healer you know,” Iris gives a little giggle, “personally I mean. You must have known other healers before me.” “They were just nameless faces,” I dismiss, “you are something real.” I don't know why I said that; it just slipped out of my mouth. Iris blushes and I hear a snort. I glare over my shoulder to see Oakshadow smirking at me. I can tell from his expression that he thinks I'm being fake. I glower at him but Iris places her tail on my shoulder. “Don't bother with him,” Iris advises, “after all, it’s hard to get used to the fact that you’re no longer enemies.” I want to bare my teeth at the russet tom, but I pointedly turn my back on him and focus on Iris’ words instead. “You’re right,” I agree, “That tom is hardly worth my time.” Iris tips her head up to smile at me. She opens her mouth to say something, but it’s a cry from Pyro and X that interrupts us. “Haiti!” Pyro cries out, his voice reaching the highest pitch I had ever heard it gone up before. He races down the slopes of the hill from our camp and reaches the she-cat in seconds. “Haiti, are you alright?” Iris leaps to her paws and I follow suit, although Iris doesn’t get far when Pyro comes up the hill, dragging Haiti with her. The light brown tabby she-cat is in a similar shape as Enoch is, but her wounds aren’t as severe. “Iris, take her,” Pyro snaps, “do all you can to save her. She must not be lost.” Iris nods and takes Haiti from the black tom, shaking slightly under her weight. I dart forward to help her, ignoring Pyro’s hiss of warning. We ease Haiti down beside Enoch and Iris sets to work immediately, barking out orders left and right. Oakshadow and I scurry about, heeding her orders. My only thought is that I had to help Iris save Haiti, no matter what the cost. chapter six - iris chapter seven - x Category:Fanfictions Category:Firey's Fanfics Category:The Phoenix Restoration Plan